Scandinavian ship sails to challenge Gaza blockade

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Scandinavian ship sails to challenge Gaza blockade

OSLO | Tue Aug 7, 2012 12:20pm EDT

(Reuters) - Scandinavian activist groups are launching an aid ship destined for Gaza on Tuesday, hoping to challenge the Israeli blockade and draw international attention to the conflict in a move reminiscent of the 2010 "Freedom Flotilla", organizers said.

"We have the same goal as the previous flotillas, to put an end to the blockade of Gaza by challenging the Israeli navy," said Torstein Dahle, the leader of the Norwegian section of the activist group "Ship to Gaza".

"This time around it will be an easy task for the Israelis to stop us because we will be so few and strictly non-violent," Dahle told Reuters at Oslo harbor.

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The SV Estelle, a 53-metre vessel backed mainly by Swedish and Norwegian groups, will sail from Oslo on Tuesday, and organizers hope several other ships will join it during its journey before it reaches waters off Gaza in October.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/us-scandinavia-gaza-ship-idUSBRE8760Y220120807

[Peregrine Took]

1. Hennning Mankell, great author and activist is a passenger. A man of principle. n/t

[oberliner]

2. Aternatively, they could fly to Egypt and walk across the border into Gaza

I believe that border is open for crossing without any interference from Israel.

[King_David]

3. Egypt closed the border

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1134&pid=15913


Maybe they should sail to Egypt and challenge the 'Egyptian blockade' on Gaza though?


Or challenge the Israeli Blockade as well as the Egyptian one and in that way avoid the charge of antisemitism/anti Zionism/anti Israel.

[holdencaufield]

4. Leave us hope...

... the Swedes don't "bring a knife to a gunfight". Leave us hope they behave like Swedes and allow their ship to be peacefully escorted out of the blockade area so they can go home and be forgotten at the end of the news cycle.